Airbags and airbag systems have been known and used for decades and have been credited with saving many lives and preventing many injuries. Airbag systems are used to deploy an airbag during a crash into a vehicle interior so that the vehicle occupant will impact the deployed airbag rather than the harder surface(s) of the vehicle interior.
Airbag systems generally include an inflator. An inflator is a device that is designed to produce and/or channel a quantity of inflation gas into the airbag during the deployment process. This influx of gas into the airbag inflates and deploys the airbag into the proper position. A variety of different inflators are known in the industry.
One type of known inflator is the so-called “pyrotechnic” inflator. Pyrotechnic inflators include a quantity of gas generant that is combusted to produce the inflation gas necessary to deploy the airbag. Accordingly, pyrotechnic inflators generally include the quantity of gas generant housed within a housing (i.e., a pressure vessel). Pyrotechnic inflators also generally include a filter. The filter is designed to filter the gas to remove solids entrained in the gas stream. The filter is also designed to cool the gas. However, the filter is often expensive and adds significant cost and weight to the inflator.
The automotive industry continues to demand airbag systems that are smaller, lighter, and less expensive to manufacture. In fact, as vehicles become smaller and more compact, such changes to the airbag systems are necessary in order to meet the constraints of these smaller cars. The airbag inflator is a significant component of the airbag system. Accordingly, reducing the size, weight, and/or cost of the inflator would result in significant size, weight, and/or cost savings in the overall airbag system.
Accordingly, the present embodiments relate to a new type of inflator that does not include a filter, but may still operate to cool the gas and/or remove entrapped particles from the gas stream. The removal of the filter from the airbag inflator makes this device smaller, lighter, and less expensive to manufacture.